During hydrocarbon production from subsurface formations, efficient control of the movement of unconsolidated formation particles into the wellbore, such as sand or other debris, has always been a pressing concern. Such formation movement commonly occurs during production from completions in loose sandstone or following the hydraulic fracture of a subterranean formation. Formation movement can also occur suddenly in the event a section of the wellbore collapses, thereby circulating significant amounts of particulates and fines within the wellbore. Production of these unwanted materials may cause numerous problems in the efficient extraction of oil and gas from subterranean formations. For example, producing formation particles may tend to plug the formation, production tubing, and subsurface flow lines. Producing formation particles may also result in the erosion of casing, downhole equipment, and surface equipment. These problems lead to high maintenance costs and unacceptable well downtime.
Numerous methods have been utilized to control the production of these unconsolidated formation particles during production. Sand control screen assemblies, for instance, are used to regulate and restrict the influx of formation particles. Typical sand control screen assemblies are constructed by installing one or more screen jackets on a perforated base pipe. The screen jackets include one or more drainage layers, one or more screen elements such as a wire wrapped screen or single or multi-layer wire mesh screen, and a perforated outer shroud.
While sand screens offer a solution to preventing the influx of formation sand, over time the screen jackets and/or screen elements may erode. For instance, fluids drawn into the sand screens will tend to follow the path of least resistance, and in some cases, due to inherent fluid dynamics, the flow entering the screen will concentrate at one end of the sand screen. As can be appreciated, this can cause very high fluid velocities in the last few inches or feet of the sand screen. The dramatic increase in fluid velocity at the end of a sand screen may result in harmful erosion or deformation to the sand screen at that location, and such erosion or deformation may ultimately cause the sand screen to fail, thereby allowing formation or sand particulates to be produced with desired formation fluids (e.g., hydrocarbons).